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OCD Interactive Help

Most of us have had the experience where we know we locked our front door, for example, but wonder later if we really did lock the door. This type of thinking is what OCD sufferers experience. What differentiates OCD sufferers from the rest of the population is that their obsessive thoughts and compulsions interfere with their daily lives. In addition to obsessive thoughts, most OCD sufferers engage in compulsive behaviors to try to alleviate those thoughts.

  1. OCD Symptoms

    • According to the OCD Resource Center of Florida, obsessive thoughts usually fall into one or more of the following categories: aggression, contamination, sex, hoarding/saving, religion and symmetry/exactness. Compulsions manifest themselves as cleaning, checking, repeating, counting, ordering/arranging and hoarding/collecting, with the most common being checking.

    Self-Help for OCD

    • If OCD is left to its own devices in the sufferer's mind, this disorder can eventually alienate and isolate the person with OCD from the rest of the world. When people give in to their compulsions, this requires them to isolate themselves in order to carry them out. However, according to the OCD Resource Center of Florida, people with OCD can try various methods to take control of this disorder.

      It is helpful for the OCD sufferer to think of OCD as the opponent, one that the sufferer needs to fight against daily. This will give the strength to fight against giving in to compulsions. The person with OCD should tell herself that nothing bad will happen if she does not carry out the compulsive behavior. No one will die, and no disasters will occur. The OCD sufferer must tell her OCD that it will not win.

      If you have OCD, you must learn to trust people again. According to the OCD Resource Center of Florida, trusting people is very difficult for people with OCD, because this involves giving up control, one of the defining characteristics of OCD. For example, if your compulsion is cleaning, you must refrain from immediately cleaning up when a guest is in your home. You will be happier in the long run if you can achieve this.

      Finding a neutral zone is another recommended strategy. Find a place in your home where you can relax until your compulsion subsides. This can take up to an hour. In addition, try to occupy yourself with more constructive activities such as exercise, hobbies or crafts instead of acting on your compulsions.

      Finding a trained professional can help OCD sufferers to succeed with small triumphs that may seem insignificant to others. A professional can give the support and encouragement the OCD sufferer needs. He will also push the person with OCD more than what the OCD sufferer would probably do on her own.

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